We Don’t Have to Place You to Help You
For many years I wondered what happened to jobseekers who couldn’t be helped by traditional executive search firms or staffing firms. It was always a source of frustration. Serving on the Board of Directors of Virginia Career Works – Northern Region (VCWN) has given me the opportunity to help address the disparity of opportunity in the employment market. In essence, the mission of VCWN is to help the jobseekers who are not being helped due to the imperfections of the job market.
VCWN is a team of private- and public-sector partners who share the goal of promoting the long-term growth and economic prosperity of Northern Virginia. We administer annual Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act dollars that help fund comprehensive employment and training services for area employers, jobseekers, and youth.
The recent COVID-19 emergency set the stage for VCWN to be awarded nearly $400,000 in funding for the Rapid Response COVID-19 Business Support Initiative. These funds are intended to assist local employers in the prevention of layoffs and support of operational needs.
I was honored to serve on The Northern Virginia Rapid Response COVID-19 Application Review Panel, a panel of seven board members from The SkillSource Group and the VCWN Board of Directors.
We examined more than 350 applications over a two-week period. Applications continued to come in and we estimate that a total of over 400 were received.
I am pleased to report that we awarded a total of almost $400,000 to 72 employers. It is estimated that this funding saved nearly 375 jobs and just under $17,000,000 in annual wages.
Recipients include employers in industry sectors such as retail, health care, IT and professional business services, and construction and trades.
Written by Hector Velez, COO at Vector Talent Resources. For more information about how Vector can help you, contact Hector at hector@vectortalent.com or call him at 703.639.2172.
